10 Hunting Preparation Tips

Make trips to the field better with these 10 hunting preparation tips. Even seasoned hunters look for ways to make hunting easier and more fun. Being prepared is the best way to hunt.

Practice with your weapon a month before the season starts. This gives you time to sight in the rifle, shotgun or bow and select the appropriate ammunition. Bow hunting requires muscle strength in areas you may not have used in a while, and practice builds that back up.

Check your hunting licenses. Make sure you have a valid hunting license for the upcoming season along with any other permits or stamps required for the game you want to take. If this is the first time you have hunted, and depending on the state, you may need to take a hunter safety education course before getting a hunting license.

Visit the locations you will hunt. Look where the animals you are hunting show signs of their presence. Prints in the ground, marks on trees and scratching areas all show you where animals might be when you come to hunt.

Set tree stands up early before the season. Don't take clanging tree stands out into the woods during the season. Animals are very aware of what is going on around them and you don't need any more attention drawn to an area that might keep them away from there for a long time.

Get your gear out and check all of it a month before the season starts. If you find something needs to be replaced, this gives you time to do so. Check your calls and do maintenance on them if needed. If you use mosquito repellant, like a therma-cell, make sure you have supplies for it.

Make a checklist of the equipment you want to take. Pack your gear up the day before the hunt. If you have children in the house, make sure to keep the guns/ammunition locked up until you leave the house for the hunt.

If you are deer hunting, use unscented soaps and other products for cleaning. This includes taking a shower and also when you put your hunting clothes in the laundry.

Lay your hunting clothes out the night before a hunt. Most hunters leave early in the morning while it's dark out and everyone else in the house is asleep. If you've got everything in one location it's easy to get dressed.

Make sure your cell phone is charged up or bring walkie-talkies. Hunting takes you to the outdoors, away from people; if you fall and break a leg, or something happens like a snake bite, you need some method to communicate to others.

Hunt with a friend. Contact a friend and schedule when you will go hunting. This is much safer and more enjoyable.